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Five decades. Three bodies. One lie.North Yorkshire, May 1973. FA Cup Final day.
Across the country, families gather around their television sets—cheering, arguing, celebrating as the match kicks off.
On a remote farm in the Yorkshire Dales, a much deadlier game is underway.
What officers discover when they arrive makes national headlines.
As police investigate, they hit a wall.
No one was there.
No one saw it happen.
No one agrees on the time.
The original investigation didn't fail to find an answer. It just found the wrong one.
Fifty-two years later, DI Prisha Kumar is handed the cold case file.
Thousands of statements. Conflicting alibis. A catalogue of police errors.
But her biggest problem is time, a long unforgiving stretch of it.
Even if she unearths the truth, a harder question remains—after five decades, is the killer still out there?
Book 1 in the DI Kumar Yorkshire Cold Case Mysteries—set in the world of the DCI Finnegan thrillers.
Across the country, families gather around their television sets—cheering, arguing, celebrating as the match kicks off.
On a remote farm in the Yorkshire Dales, a much deadlier game is underway.
What officers discover when they arrive makes national headlines.
As police investigate, they hit a wall.
No one was there.
No one saw it happen.
No one agrees on the time.
The original investigation didn't fail to find an answer. It just found the wrong one.
Fifty-two years later, DI Prisha Kumar is handed the cold case file.
Thousands of statements. Conflicting alibis. A catalogue of police errors.
But her biggest problem is time, a long unforgiving stretch of it.
Even if she unearths the truth, a harder question remains—after five decades, is the killer still out there?
Book 1 in the DI Kumar Yorkshire Cold Case Mysteries—set in the world of the DCI Finnegan thrillers.
484 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 20, 2026
About the author
Ely North
21 books33 followersEly North writes British crime fiction the way his detectives drink—steadily, seriously, and with the occasional lapse in judgement.
He is the author of the DCI Finnegan Yorkshire Crime Thrillers and the DI Prisha Kumar Yorkshire Cold Case Mysteries, fast-paced police procedurals set in Whitby and across North Yorkshire. His books have amassed tens of millions of pages read on Kindle Unlimited, with readers across the UK, US, Australia, Canada, Europe and beyond.
Ely writes about Whitby because it is the most beautiful and atmospheric place he knows—and he has never trusted anywhere that pretty.
At the centre of the DCI Finnegan series is Frank Finnegan—old, old-school, and not remotely bothered about either. Raised on The Sweeney and seventies cop shows, he still thinks Regan and Carter had the right idea about most things. Finnegan doesn't have much time for procedure, feelings or technology. He'd rather get on with the bit that matters—catching the bastards.
The setting matters almost as much as the murders. Whitby brings the harbour, the abbey, the 199 Steps, sea fret rolling in off the North Sea, cobbled streets, narrow alleys and hidden-away yards. Bodies are supplied courtesy of Ely. Readers have been known to follow the investigations on Google Maps, and a few have even booked holidays inspired by the books. None, so far, have been found unresponsive on the beach—touch wood.
Ely doesn't write cosy crime, but neither does he dwell on gore for the sake of it. He writes about coppers who are good at their jobs and bad at most other things, villains who believe they're the hero, and the kind of gallows humour that gets you through a twelve-hour shift—or a long-running series.
If you grew up with Taggart, Morse, Columbo, Heartbeat and The Professionals, and have spent the years since wondering where all the proper coppers went, you may just have found them.
When he isn't killing people on paper, Ely cooks. Badly, according to his wife. Enthusiastically, according to him. The cats—of which he has none—have refused to comment, as have his daughters, of which he has two.
He is the author of the DCI Finnegan Yorkshire Crime Thrillers and the DI Prisha Kumar Yorkshire Cold Case Mysteries, fast-paced police procedurals set in Whitby and across North Yorkshire. His books have amassed tens of millions of pages read on Kindle Unlimited, with readers across the UK, US, Australia, Canada, Europe and beyond.
Ely writes about Whitby because it is the most beautiful and atmospheric place he knows—and he has never trusted anywhere that pretty.
At the centre of the DCI Finnegan series is Frank Finnegan—old, old-school, and not remotely bothered about either. Raised on The Sweeney and seventies cop shows, he still thinks Regan and Carter had the right idea about most things. Finnegan doesn't have much time for procedure, feelings or technology. He'd rather get on with the bit that matters—catching the bastards.
The setting matters almost as much as the murders. Whitby brings the harbour, the abbey, the 199 Steps, sea fret rolling in off the North Sea, cobbled streets, narrow alleys and hidden-away yards. Bodies are supplied courtesy of Ely. Readers have been known to follow the investigations on Google Maps, and a few have even booked holidays inspired by the books. None, so far, have been found unresponsive on the beach—touch wood.
Ely doesn't write cosy crime, but neither does he dwell on gore for the sake of it. He writes about coppers who are good at their jobs and bad at most other things, villains who believe they're the hero, and the kind of gallows humour that gets you through a twelve-hour shift—or a long-running series.
If you grew up with Taggart, Morse, Columbo, Heartbeat and The Professionals, and have spent the years since wondering where all the proper coppers went, you may just have found them.
When he isn't killing people on paper, Ely cooks. Badly, according to his wife. Enthusiastically, according to him. The cats—of which he has none—have refused to comment, as have his daughters, of which he has two.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 27, 2026
great read
Nice to see Prisha taking centre stage. She has been tasked with cold case reviews. This one is 50 years old but she’s determined to get justice for the deceased. Great read.
Nice to see Prisha taking centre stage. She has been tasked with cold case reviews. This one is 50 years old but she’s determined to get justice for the deceased. Great read.
May 24, 2026
The first of a new series and what a great start! DI Kumar reopens a case 50 years on and true to style you have to love her! Great book can’t wait for the next one!
June 6, 2026
A good read as PASHA investigates a 50 year old case and the vital information not followed up .
June 8, 2026
Great book never read any other Ely North books. Can't wait to dive into all of his other ones. This one was fabulous. I was hooked and spent a lot of time thinking about the book when i wasn't able to read. Trying to figure it out.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews